THE 154th Soweto Derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs may have been postponed, but the supporters of both clubs yesterday turned the atmosphere inside the Standard Bank Arena into one fit for a clash between the two titans.
In an unprecedented event, yesterday’s memorial service was organised to eulogise not only slain Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates captain Senzo Meyiwa, but female welterweight boxer Phindile Mwelase and former 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi – who all died over this past weekend.
Mwelase, 31, died at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria on Saturday after being in a coma for over two weeks after being knocked out in a fight against Liz Butler.
Mulaudzi, 34, died in a car crash a day before Mwelase.
Meyiwa was shot dead in Vosloorus on Sunday evening when two men allegedly entered the house he was in demanding cellphones and shooting him before fleeing.
The 6300 capacity venue was close to full, dominated by supporters of the two soccer clubs, a peppering of fans from others clubs including Bloemfontein Celtic and Mamelodi Sundowns, and even Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and her daughter Zindzi.
At every chance they got, even when asked to settle down, they sang: “USenzo lo. Abamaziyo, abakaze bambone .”
The also sang Shosholoza, whistled, and blew vuvuzelas.
South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan made a promise to Meyiwa’s parents, who arrived during the service, the soccer governing body was pushing to charter a “Senzo Meyiwa gun law”.
“ must take all the unlicensed and illegal firearms off the streets. We must take those guns to a furnace and build a statue of Senzo Meyiwa,” said Jordaan. “You will decide how big that statue is.”
Further details would be announced at a press conference on Tuesday, said Jordaan, who also wanted to unveil the statue before Bafana Bafana go to next year’s African Cup of Nations tournament – should they qualify.
Rival goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who sat next to Pirates’ Lucky Lekgwathi, told of how when he was promoted to the senior squad at Chiefs, he walked kilometres to share the news with Meyiwa.
“I got there and I told him I’d been promoted. He was happy for me, and what did I do? I bought him to celebrate – that was in 2004. A year later, he walked all the way from Mayfair to Auckland Park to celebrate his promotion with me. Guess what he bought me? . That’s how close we were.”
Former Pirates player Benedict Vilakazi was seated in the bleachers, while others there to pay their respects to the three fallen stars included long and triple jump star Khotso Mokoena, Springbok rugby captain Jean de Villiers, and Kaizer Chiefs’ Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Siphiwe Tshabalala.
Memorial service for fallen sports stars
In an unprecedented event, yesterday’s memorial service was organised to eulogise not only slain Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates captain Senzo Meyiwa, but female welterweight boxer Phindile Mwelase and former 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi – who all died over this past weekend.
Mwelase, 31, died at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria on Saturday after being in a coma for over two weeks after being knocked out in a fight against Liz Butler.
Mulaudzi, 34, died in a car crash a day before Mwelase.
Meyiwa was shot dead in Vosloorus on Sunday evening when two men allegedly entered the house he was in demanding cellphones and shooting him before fleeing.
The 6300 capacity venue was close to full, dominated by supporters of the two soccer clubs, a peppering of fans from others clubs including Bloemfontein Celtic and Mamelodi Sundowns, and even Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and her daughter Zindzi.
At every chance they got, even when asked to settle down, they sang: “USenzo lo. Abamaziyo, abakaze bambone .”
The also sang Shosholoza, whistled, and blew vuvuzelas.
South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan made a promise to Meyiwa’s parents, who arrived during the service, the soccer governing body was pushing to charter a “Senzo Meyiwa gun law”.
“ must take all the unlicensed and illegal firearms off the streets. We must take those guns to a furnace and build a statue of Senzo Meyiwa,” said Jordaan. “You will decide how big that statue is.”
Further details would be announced at a press conference on Tuesday, said Jordaan, who also wanted to unveil the statue before Bafana Bafana go to next year’s African Cup of Nations tournament – should they qualify.
Rival goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who sat next to Pirates’ Lucky Lekgwathi, told of how when he was promoted to the senior squad at Chiefs, he walked kilometres to share the news with Meyiwa.
“I got there and I told him I’d been promoted. He was happy for me, and what did I do? I bought him to celebrate – that was in 2004. A year later, he walked all the way from Mayfair to Auckland Park to celebrate his promotion with me. Guess what he bought me? . That’s how close we were.”
Former Pirates player Benedict Vilakazi was seated in the bleachers, while others there to pay their respects to the three fallen stars included long and triple jump star Khotso Mokoena, Springbok rugby captain Jean de Villiers, and Kaizer Chiefs’ Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Siphiwe Tshabalala.
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